


Illusory

by PlatonicRabbit



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Happy Ending, Hoenn League, Zorua!Gabriel, coordinator!Dean, league champion!Charlie Bradbury, pokemon trainer!sam, sort-of background destiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 06:20:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7563613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlatonicRabbit/pseuds/PlatonicRabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam is a lonely Pokemon trainer travelling across the Hoenn region. One day he gains a travelling companion who is not what he appears to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Illusory

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aria_Lerendeair](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/gifts).



> From Bulbapedia:
> 
>  
> 
> _“Zorua keeps its true form hidden to ensure its safety, and takes on the appearance of other Pokémon to frighten off enemies. Sometimes it will take the form of a silent child. Whenever a Zorua takes on a human form, its tail remains. When the tail is touched or grabbed, it reverts to its true form instantly. It is mischievous and loves to surprise others.”_

Sam was only two badges into his Hoenn League Challenge when he decided being a solo Pokemon trainer was not all it was cracked up to be. His brothers were supposed to stay with him for their journeys this year but, Dean had wanted to see Kanto and Adam had wanted to go to Sinnoh.

Sam was in a forest, somewhere between Slateport and Mauville, definitely not crying himself to sleep when another boy showed up.  
He was about Sam’s age and called himself Gabriel. The boy didn't talk, or make any noise at all, really, he communicated by passing notes, but Sam had learned some sign language in school and he bought a book in Mauville to learn more. Soon enough both boys were fluent and signing back and forth all day. It didn’t occur to Sam to ask why Gabriel had no clue what sign language was until Sam showed him.

Gabriel had a Poochyena, a Misdreavus and a Murkrow but they didn’t live in pokeballs. Sometimes Sam almost thought Gabriel understood what his Pokemon were saying. Sometimes he was sure he heard him talking back to them. 

But that was impossible, on more than one level, so Sam convinced himself he was mistaken. Having a companion, a friend after so many months alone with Treecko, Ralts and Skitty made Sam so much less lonely, so much happier, he didn’t want to question his strange new travelling partner.

 

In the ash fields outside Fallarbor Town Gabriel really came to life, and the boys spent hours jumping in piles of ash, running through the sooty grass and getting themselves filthy. On their way to Meteor Falls Sam caught a Bagon and found an egg that later hatched into a Swablu. Gabriel wandered through the cave trying to scare the Zubats- though not to catch one. He just thought it was fun.

 

Sometimes, as they passed through towns, Sam would get them food and Gabriel would stare at it like he’d never seen it before. He always tried it eventually, and soon enough Sam had discovered that although Gabriel naturally gravitated towards meats he had a huge sweet tooth. Pancakes quickly became Gabriel’s favourites after Sam introduced them.

 

Gabriel refused to bathe in the Hot Springs in Lavaridge, despite his obvious fascination with them. His reluctance began as soon as he realised he’d have to take most of his clothes off, so Sam figured Gabriel was just shy and thought nothing of it. Sam caught him a few times drifting curious fingers through the water as he sat by the side of the pool.

 

One evening in a Pokemon centre they saw a teenager mistreating his Torchic.  
That night, all the trainers were woken by the teen suddenly screaming bloody murder, saying there was a zombie girl standing over him.  
In the confusion the trainer didn’t notice his Pokemon missing til morning.

Sam found six broken pokeballs in Gabriel’s backpack. He didn’t blame the other boy for setting that teenager’s Pokemon free, and never mentioned it to him. He did, though, wonder, somewhere in the back of his mind, how Gabriel had done it.

 

When they reach Fortree Forest Gabriel was fascinated by the Kecleon they find, despite it stealing their packs and some of Sam’s pokeballs.  
Gabriel, somehow, when Sam wasn’t around, convinced the Kecleon to give their stuff back and join Gabriel’s unofficial team on their journey.  
He didn’t keep Kecleon in a ball either. Gabriel’s four companions trot along out in the open (well, two of them do, but Murkrow flies and Misdreavus floats).  
Sam’s five Pokemon do too, by now. They’re much happier that way, he’s found.

 

Gabriel didn’t want to go to Mt Pyre.  
But Sam wanted to visit the grave of his mother’s Togetic, that had passed away from grief after Mary had died in a housefire. The Togetic had woken Mary up that night and saved the rest of the family. But not her.

Gabriel attracted a trailing entourage of Shuppet as they climbed the mountain. Sam caught a Vulpix and named it for his mother.

 

It was in Lilycove city, two weeks later, Sam finally found out the truth.  
The ocean around Hoenn is full of tricks and magic. Islands that come and go, deep, mysterious mazes under the water, hidden caves and lost treasures. Sailors in Hoenn know an illusion when they see one. 

One such man ordered his Aipom to sneak up behind Gabriel after observing the boy a while. Gabriel didn't notice, preoccupied with a berry his Murkrow brought him (Sam always thought it was weird Gabriel ate those things. They were only for Pokemon, right?). 

The Aipom grabbed something on Gabriel's lower back- a tail, grey and red furred- and in a puff of smoke, Sam's friend vanished. In his place was a Pokemon. A Zorua. 

The Zorua -Gabriel- ran before Sam could react. Hanging around in a big human city without a disguise was a bad idea for his kind and he evidently wasn’t willing to take the chance Sam would accept him. 

Sam stayed near Lilycove a month, delaying his journey so long he risked not making it to Evergrande in time for the Conference. But Gabriel was nowhere to be found. Dejected and lonely again, Sam finally moved on. 

 

In Mossdeep, Sam won the Gym Battle with ease. He just fought the way Gabriel would have, the way they’d practiced all these months. The victory felt hollow without him. 

Sam couldn't stop thinking about how much Gabriel would have loved the Space Centre and Shoal Cave. 

One night, walking among the mangroves, Sam thought he saw a Misdreavus through the branches. He chased it until he was muddy and his clothes were ruined but never got any closer. It was probably just mist anyway, he told himself. 

 

Sootopolis City was beautiful, but the journey didn't seem worth it without his companion. 

Sam almost lost to Wallace. It was the sight of familiar golden eyes looking scornfully down at him from the stands that gave him the motivation to win. 

When Sam dared to look back at the seat he'd thought he’d seen Gabriel in, it was empty.

 

The Evergrande Conference began. Sam wasn’t alone anymore. Adam had finished the Sinnoh League a month earlier, not as Champion, but scoring a decent place nevertheless. Dean had dropped out of the Kanto League entirely to become a Coordinator instead. Both of them had the time to come over to Hoenn and watch Sam.

But they weren’t the ones who had journeyed with him, who had watched him raise his team all those months, and while it was great to have his brothers cheering him on, it really was, Sam couldn’t help feeling the absence where Gabriel should be.

 

He lost in the semifinals. It was down to Mary against Charlie’s Kingdra, and the poor Ninetails didn’t have a chance.

Charlie went on and won the championship, of course. Sam wasn’t surprised. She’d more than deserved it.

 

Sam decided to take the scenic route back to Rustboro City. Next year, he and his brothers had agreed to tour Johto together, Sam and Adam in the gyms and Dean and his friend Cas in the Contest Halls (Cas was the one who’d converted Dean to coordinating in the first place, so his joining up with them would be a secret from John).

Sam wanted to stop by a couple of places on his way back home.

He didn’t expect to see Gabriel in Lilycove. Not really. But he was hoping.

He took the shortcut back to Mauville, and walked south to Slateport. When he reached the spot he’d first met Gabriel, just north of the Trick House, Sam stopped for two days and waited.

Eventually, he told himself it was just sad, and moved on.

There was no point walking further from there. Sam booked passage with Mr Briney and was back in Rustboro two days later.

When he reached his house, there was a familiar figure leaning against the front door. Took you long enough, Gabriel signed at Sam.

Sam ran forward and hugged him.

So what if Gabriel was a Pokemon? He was also Sam’s best friend.

**Author's Note:**

> As you can probably tell, Hoenn was my favourite Pokemon region.
> 
> Find me on tumblr at platonic-rabbit.tumblr.com


End file.
